Enviro News Asia, Samarinda – The Forest Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) for the Kalimantan Region has named B (47) as a suspect in a case of buying and selling illegal processed wood without official documentation.
The arrest was carried out by Forest Rangers of Kutai National Park on Thursday night (7 August 2025) at around 21:45 Central Indonesia Time (WITA) on the Bontang–Sangatta main road, Km. 23, in the Sangatta area, East Kutai Regency.
The suspect is being detained at the Samarinda City Police Detention Center.
Seized evidence includes one pick-up truck, two vehicle registration certificates (STNK), 120 ulin wood logs measuring 6×15 cm and two meters in length, two mobile phones, and a transaction record book amounting to IDR 147.55 million, allegedly from sales to several furniture companies.
All evidence is now secured at the Office of Section II, Forest Law Enforcement Agency for the Kalimantan Region.
The case was uncovered after the Kutai National Park patrol team received reports from the public regarding suspected illegal transportation of ulin wood.
Upon inspection, the suspect was unable to present documentation on the origin of the wood. B, along with a witness identified as F (19), was then apprehended along with the vehicle loaded with processed wood.
Head of the Forest Law Enforcement Agency for the Kalimantan Region, Leonardo Gultom, stated that this disclosure was the result of cooperation between Kutai National Park, the Sustainable Forest Management Agency Region XI Samarinda, and local law enforcement authorities.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating illegal logging to protect forests, biodiversity, and prevent ecological disasters.
Investigators have charged the suspect under Article 16 in conjunction with Article 88 paragraph (1) letter a of Law Number 18 of 2013 on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1 of the Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP).
The suspect faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to IDR 2.5 billion.
Ulin wood (Eusideroxylon zwageri), also known as “ironwood,” is among the strongest and most durable woods in the world, grows only in Kalimantan, and requires hundreds of years to reach a large size. Unauthorized logging threatens its survival and disrupts the forest ecosystem. (*)
